Several local groups and businesses in Geneva have announced they will join a planned shutdown Friday.
The shutdown follows a protest that occurred Monday outside of City Hall in downtown Geneva. Organized by the Geneva Women’s Assembly and Finger Lakes Rapid Response Network, the emergency rally was held in response to the shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota and the previous shooting of Renee Good, also by federal agents in Minnesota. The rally drew participants who voiced concern over recent immigration enforcement tactics and called for accountability and reform.
The Minnesota protests, some of the largest in recent weeks, have grown into calls for a “National Shutdown” on Friday, Jan. 30 — a coordinated day of action urging people and businesses nationwide to refrain from work, school and shopping in protest of ICE operations and related federal immigration policy. Activists and community groups online have promoted the slogan “no work, no school, no shopping” as part of the action, which has spread widely across social platforms and organizing forums.
In Geneva, several businesses have publicly stated on Facebook that they will close for the day in solidarity with the planned action, including Lake Drum Brewing, Linden Social and Morgan Laurent Antique Store. Organizers say the closures are intended to support local participation in the protest and draw attention to the national call to action.
Similar actions are being promoted elsewhere in the Finger Lakes and Central New York. Organizers in Ithaca have used social media to encourage residents and businesses to participate in Friday’s shutdown, while advocacy groups in Rochester and Syracuse have also circulated calls for work stoppages and demonstrations tied to immigration enforcement concerns.
Residents interested in the shutdown and related demonstrations have been directed to community organizers’ social media pages for updates and local event information.
